Kathleen Meehan

Justice Meehan was nominated to be an Associate Justice of the Fifth District Court of Appeal by Governor Brown in December 2016 and was confirmed by the Commission of Judicial Appointments on February 9, 2017.

Justice Meehan obtained her Juris Doctorate from the University of California, Davis, in 1985. Following graduation from law school, Justice Meehan entered private practice in Los Angeles with an emphasis in large-scale securities and business litigation before returning home to Fresno and family in 1994. She joined the law firm of Baker, Manock & Jensen where she shortly thereafter became a shareholder and practiced as a litigator in the areas of securities, business, agriculture, and estates as well as civil appeals; she received an AV rating from Martindale-Hubbell. After more than 12 years with the firm, Justice Meehan pursued her goal of practicing in the public sector and joined the California Department of Justice, Office of the Attorney General in 2008, representing public agencies in complex and constitutional litigation.

In 2011, Justice Meehan was selected by the Fresno County Superior Court as a Commissioner, and in 2014, she was appointed to the Fresno County Superior Court as a judge.

At the time of her selection as a Commissioner, Justice Meehan was the President-Elect of the Fresno County Bar Association, having served in several offices on the Board of Directors and assisted in the establishment of the appellate and pro bono sections of the local bar. She served as President of Fresno County Women Lawyers and received the distinguished Justice Pauline Davis Hanson Award in 2011. Justice Meehan also served as President of the Board of Directors of Central California Legal Services. She received from CCLS the Champions of Justice Award, Judicial Category, in 2013, and was named Pro Bono Attorney of the Year in 2004. In addition, Justice Meehan received the Statewide Board Member of the Year Award from Legal Aid Associations of California in 2006. She was a Commissioner on the California State Bar Legal Services Trust Fund Commission from 2008–2011, and a Member of the State Bar’s Standing Committee on Delivery of Legal Services from 2003–2006. She was a member of the Board of Directors of the Conference of Delegates of California Bar Associations from 2004–2007, and a delegate representing the Fresno County Bar Association from 2003–2008. Justice Meehan has also participated in a variety of local committees, educational panels, and seminars.

Justice Meehan grew up in Fresno with her parents and three siblings and attended Fresno schools from kindergarten through high school graduation. She earned her bachelor’s degree, magna cum laude, from Saint Mary’s College of California, where she received the De La Salle Medal (School of Liberal Arts’ highest honor) and the Thomas Jefferson Award (Government Department’s highest honor). She has been married to her college sweetheart, Allen, since 1981.